Stay For The Encore: Act Six
Romko hadn't been able to round up as many men as he would have liked, but it was short notice and he'd take whatever was available.
Romko drove with Gregson riding shotgun. They had two other cars with them, both with two officers each. They had one objective; take out the Guttersnipe.
They would make it look good. Real good. The press would eat it up. The best was that they would make it look like they had done the city the greatest service ever, getting rid of that scum.
At least, that's what Romko believed. He had to, really.
He drove the squad car dangerously fast, weaving in between traffic as he went. They were almost at The Grave Dance and they were not going in quietly.
The plan was simple; head in due to a noise complaint. Wait for the pushback and then engage. If the Guttersnipe was as arrogantly defiant as he seemed, he would be there…somewhere.
He had called out Romko and the whole force. The Chief was dead, the Governor was dead, and now it was time to answer for that.
The time had come, and Romko hit the sirens as they closed in on the venue.
Inside the venue the second band had just finished. They had played an anti-cop heavy set, to which the crowd adored. Claire found herself in a hallway, trying to get some space while they waited for the next band to set up.
Gina had shoved her way to Claire, through the sea of sweaty punks.
"Great fucking set, huh?!" Gina screamed. Her ears were still ringing so she had no real volume control. Claire laughed and nodded.
Claire had come out to the hallway in between all the sets so far, looking to spot the Guttersnipe. She knew he had to be there, and she wanted to find him. Why? She wasn't sure. Maybe he was some sort of violent artist, or maybe a true rebel. Maybe he was just a lucky savant with a knife. Whatever it was, Claire wanted to meet him, face to face, to understand him a little better.
He was doing such drastic things. His actions both scared and thrilled Claire, and she needed to know what his real motivations were.
He was here, she knew it. Rat had come up and pulled Gina back to the stage. Gina grabbed at Claire's arm and tugged. Claire acknowledged her, and gave her a "one more minute" signal with her finger. She scanned the area once more.
Standing by a back exit, was the Guttersnipe. Claire saw him, and he looked in her direction. He then turned and walked right out the door. Claire started to push through the crowd towards where he had left, but then a heavy blast of distorted guitar filled the air.
The next band had begun to play, and Claire was caught in the mass of humanity that swarmed back to the stage.
The Guttersnipe stepped outside. It was a cold night, just as cold as the day he had died for the first time. Tonight felt exactly the same.
He only was outside for a few seconds, and then the sounds of sirens began to amplify, interweaving with the muffled hum of the band inside.
To the Guttersnipe, it was a vivid and beautiful symphony, and the crescendo was fast approaching.
Romko's foot slammed on the breaks as he could saw the green masked Guttersnipe standing nonchalant in front of The Grave Dance.
The three squads cars came to a screeching halt and each officer was instantly out of the car and taking cover behind their doors. All had guns or shotguns drawn, and all had one target in their line of fire.
The Guttersnipe stood stoic, looking over the audience he had attracted.
"Hands up now! You’ve got one chance or we’;; blow you the fuck away!” Romko shouted. The Guttersnipe looked straight at him. His black eyes were still dripping a viscous oil like substance onto the mask below like rotten tears. The Guttersnipe slowly began to raise his hands up. His gaze never left Romko.
As his hands reached his head, the Guttersnipe then formed a gun with his fingers. He pointed it at Romko, and pantomimed a gunshot. Romko's rage overtook him. He didn't even give an order, he just started to fire.
After Romko's first few shots, all the other officers joined in. The Guttersnipe's body jerked from each impact and he staggered back and fell against the door to the venue. He slid down to a seated position, a black wet stain left on the wall behind him.
The gunshots stopped, and the only sound was the muffled droning of the band inside. The band had been so loud that none of the crowd inside had heard the shots in the alley. The venue itself, due to constant noise complaints, had recently upped its soundproofing. No one was any bit the wiser.
Romko looked at Gregson, then jerked his head towards the body of the Guttersnipe. Gregson had a shotgun held forward as he took cautious steps towards the body.
At first look there was no breath coming from the punk's mouth. Several holes in his jacket were leaking the black liquid onto his patches. Gregson poked his body once with his shotgun, and there was no reaction.
"He's toast." Gregson turned and said. As he did the Guttersnipe sprung back to life. Using Gregson as a human shield the Guttersnipe twirled his blade in his hand, visible to all the officers there. The blade swung in front of Gregson, and then impaled him from under the chin into his upper jaw.
Romko roared as he moved forward and began shooting, all of his shots hitting Gregson. The Guttersnipe reached back and opened the door to the venue, dragging the now dead Gregson along as protection. The Guttersnipe slid into the venue, the last shot from Romko hitting Gregson in the head, sending his policeman's hat flying into the venue with the Guttersnipe.
The door closed and the Guttersnipe grabbed the hat, a souvenir, perhaps. The Guttersnipe moved into the loud and raucous main stage area as Romko and the other cops broke down the door and ran in.
The Guttersnipe moved through the crowd, and went right past Rat, Gina, and Claire. Claire was in awe, her mouth agape. The Guttersnipe seemed to regard her for a moment, then he put the policeman's hat on Rat's head and merged into the wave of dancing bodies.
Claire was in shock, and she went to follow, but the band suddenly stopped playing. Something was wrong.
Cops were brutally fighting through the crowd, striking and pushing everyone in the way. The one in the lead looked like a man possessed, his uniform reading Romko on a patch over his heart.
Romko saw Gregson's hat being worn, and did not hesitate. He raised his gun and fired one shot into Rat's forehead. The back of Rat's head exploded with blood, covering both Gina and Claire with a splatter of red and skull chunks. Rat fell back and hit the ground, Gina screamed.
Romko was breathing heavy, and tired to continue on, but the crowd had gone into a frenzy. Romko's outstretched arm, the one that held the gun, was grabbed and yanked down. Before Romko could react, he was under the boots of the crowd, and his head was being crushed into the concrete floor.
The other officers were swarmed as well. A few shots rang out, but like an anthill under attack, the punks moved as one. Romko tried to stand, he tried to move, but the relentless stomps from above kept smashing his skull against the concrete. He felt his head begin to collapse in, and his body went limp. He was wake and aware as the final blow came, and his head caved in fully somewhere in the center of the crowd.
Claire did not stop to help Gina as she grieved. She had pushed through the crowd trying to find the Guttersnipe. She ended up going out a fire exit, into a back alley.
She looked down each way, but there was no one to be seen. She stood outside, and leaned against the wall, the reality of the moment beginning to set in.
She pulled out a cigarette and lit it up, and took a deep puff trying to calm her nerves. As she ashed it out, she noticed something in the trash can just outside the door.
A green ski mask, covered in a black tar like substance. Claire took it and stuffed it in her jacket pocket, and then began to walk down the alleyway whistling as the doors from the venue swung open behind her, and the bodies began to be thrown out into the cold.
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